Coffee Shots: Nick Clegg’s animal magic

Where did Nick Clegg go on the first stop of his General Election campaign tour? To visit a creature under threat. Not a Lib Dem MP struggling to hold on to a marginal seat, Lorely Burt, but a hedgehog who can only walk in circles after an injury. Of course.

Mr Steerpike keeps a keen eye on the campaigning tropes of our political leaders and he is not surprised by Clegg’s prickly posing. Indeed, the Lib Dem leader seems to love campaigning with animals almost as much as George Osborne enjoys wearing totally unnecessary hi-vis jackets.

Picture: Cabinet Office/Flickr

There was the visit to a seal sanctuary, where Mr Steerpike was less impressed by Clegg’s ability to handle slippery fish than he was by the Deputy Prime Minister’s restraint in not issuing a press release saying ‘CLEGG SAVES SEAL THE TORIES WANTED TO CLUB’.

Then there are the friendly encounters with dogs.

And more dogs.